SAMMY HAGAR Explains That ALEX VAN HALEN "Just Doesn't Like Playing Without His Brother"

February 6, 2024, 10 months ago

news hard rock alex van halen eddie van halen sammy hagar

SAMMY HAGAR Explains That ALEX VAN HALEN "Just Doesn't Like Playing Without His Brother"

Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer, Sammy Hagar, will be joined by rock heavyweights and longtime bandmates Michael Anthony (bass, backing vocals), Jason Bonham (drums) and Joe Satriani (guitar) on The Best Of All Worlds 2024 Tour.

Explaining why they’re hitting the road this year, Hagar revealed: "Well, Michael Anthony and I, you know, we've been doing this (Sammy Hagar and the) Circle thing. We play about an hour of Van Halen and we play about 45 minutes to an hour of my stuff, Montrose and everything. We're gonna kind of just really go heavy on Van Halen. Play four or five of Sammy's greatest hits. You know, 'One Way to Rock,' 'Heavy Metal,' 'I Can't Drive 55,' 'Mas Tequila,' songs you've gotta play. One Montrose, a Chickenfoot and a whole lot of Van Halen, the whole catalogue. I mean, we're gonna go back into the early years for three or four songs, sprinkle 'em in there, because I'm calling it not just the Best of All Worlds Tour, I'm calling it the Thank You Tour. For me it's thank you. Thank you, Eddie. Thank you to the fans. Thank you for this wonderful life, being able to do this, because I don't know how much longer I can do it.”

He continued: “Mike and I, 20 years ago, did a reunion. And it's been 20 years this year. I'm going, I don't have another 20 years to be waiting on Alex Van Halen, who's the only guy left.”

Asked if Alex didn’t want to do it, Hagar responded: “You know, he, I guess, just doesn't like playing without his brother (Eddie). Don't blame him. God bless him."

Read more at Planet Rock.

Produced by Live Nation and featuring special guests Loverboy, the 28-date tour will commence on July 13 in West Palm Beach, FL and will conclude on August 31 in St. Louis, MO. For tickets and more details, go to RedRocker.com.

The tour follows on the heels of the chart-topping success of The Collection II, the box set released in October 2023, featuring newly remastered versions of the four consecutive #1 albums released during the Hagar era of Van Halen: 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988),  For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge  (1991), and Balance (1995). A reminder to fans of the arsenal of hits, many which haven’t been played live since the band’s 2004 reunion tour. Collectively, Anthony, Satriani and Bonham have played together in nearly every phase of Hagar’s career including Van Halen, Chickenfoot and The Circle, so fans can expect a setlist which draws from some of the biggest rock anthems of the last 4-decades, including, "Finish What Ya Started", "5150", "Your Love is Driving Me Crazy", "Best of Both Worlds", "Poundcake", "Sexy Little Thing", "One Way To Rock", "Right Now", "Good Enough", "Eagles Fly" and more. They’ve also enlisted legendary Australian musician, Rai Thistlethwayte on keyboard and backing vocals. The tour represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this band of brothers deliver one of the most legendary hits-packed live shows of their career.

“It’s crazy to think that it’ll be 20 years since Mikey and I played these songs with Van Halen on the 04’ Best of Both Worlds Tour,” said Hagar. “With Joe on board, we can take a deeper dive into those years. We’re going to touch on some hits from my entire career but seeing fans old and new really embrace the new collection set off something in Mikey and I. We were at my Birthday Bash in Cabo for my 76th and looked at each other and high fived, like ‘let’s do it.’ We pulled out a couple of them and it was an instant lovefest with the fans from our first riffs. The music we created is going to outlive us all. They deserve to be heard so it's time we go out and serve the fans that music, while we still can."

Tour dates:

July
13 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
14 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre          
16 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre                                   
19 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
20 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
22 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC  
24 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater                       
26 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
27 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center                                
29 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center                                
31 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage                             

August
2 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
3 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
9 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena                         
11 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre               
13 - Spokane, WA - Airway Heights, WA BECU Live at Northern Quest
14 - Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Style Resort Amphitheater            
16 - Wheatland, CA - Toyota Amphitheatre
17 - Concord, CA - Toyota Pavilion at Concord            
19 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
20 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resorts Amphitheatre           
22 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
23 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion   
25 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP                      
27 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
28 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena                          
30 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
31 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre


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